
Sinners is directed by Ryan Coogler director of Fruitvale Station (2013), Creed (2015), Black Panther (2018) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
Ryan Coogler is one of those directors that I always look forward to see what he has to say with his films, which is why I was incredibly excited to see Coogler tackle the horror genre with Sinners but not only does he do such a great job with the genre but he also nails tons of themes as well as other genres such as thriller, a bit of crime, action, drama and even some period piece western type of feel that transports you back to parts of the classic cinema era.
To start with the performances are all top notch, everyone here is really bringing it their all. Michael B. Jordan throughout his career has shown how much he’s grown as an actor and here feels like the end result of that. Jordan gives a fantastic dual performance as Elijah “Smoke” Moore and Elias “Stack” Moore twin brothers who return to their hometown to start a juke joint for the town. Jordan is able to give both these brothers different personalities and really make them fun characters, the back and forth between the two is natural and Michael B. Jordan’s charisma as an actor is present throughout the film. He completely fits the atmosphere and pours so much power and energy into the performance, it’s by far one of the most striking performances of the year that completely feels natural from beginning to end.
Miles Caton gives an unbelievable debut performance, not only is his acting filled with passion but his singing voice is one of the film’s highlights. There’s a theme of music going on here and how it brings people together and how powerful it can be. Caton’s singing voice does just that and delivers one of the film’s best moments that is incredibly memorable (his singing voice really gave me chills at times) he also works so well with the rest of the cast and truly delivers a breakout performance that is absolutely going to put him into stardom.
Hailee Steinfeld gives one of the best performances of her career, she may not be in the film incredibly long but much like everyone else in the film she goes all out here, Jack O’Connell is given one scene in particular that’s a lot of fun, his singing voice matches the atmosphere of the scene taking place and he truly makes for such an excellent villain. Wunmi Mosaku, Omar Miller and Delroy Lindo are all fantastic here. Miller and Lindo provide some great comedic moments while Mosaku’s bond with Jordan is genuinely touching and her character Annie is very well written!
As I said one of the themes at play here is music and that is shown with a certain moment that I won’t spoil, but just know it’s one of the many moments where you see how powerful Ryan Coogler is as a director. It’s a very well done scene that kind of feels like the the heart of the film and I mean that when it comes to importance, it’s a look of just how grand in scale this film really is and as well as how beautiful done the film itself is.
The direction from Ryan Coogler is top notch, this is quite possibly the best direction of his career which is really saying something. He combines so many different types of genres together and they all fit naturally, this just isn’t another vampire film, it takes the idea of vampires and does something unique with it. You have the thriller, drama, action and some western elements thrown in here that all blend together to create a beautiful fun ride from beginning to end.
Overall Sinners is a brilliant film, from the cast, to the direction, to the large in scale feel. Sinners has everything that makes for a fantastic blockbuster and hands down my favorite film so far this year.
Sinners is available in theaters.
10/10 A+








